La mothe



B. J. LA MOTHE.

VIRON BUILDING.-

Nol 11.809. Patented Oct. l?. 1854,

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

BERNARD J. LA MOTHE, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

IRON BUILDING.

Specification of Letters Patent No. 11,809, dated October 1'7, 1854.

T0 all whom t may concern Be it known that I, BERNARD JOACHIM LA 'Merlin of the city, county, and State of New York, have invented a new Mode of Constructing Buildings Possessing Advantages in Security and Economy over Every other Known Mode of Construction; and I do declare that the following is a full and exact description thereof.

The nature of my invention is such that buildings of any form and for any use whatever can be constructed with much less material yet possessing far greater strength and tenacity throughout than by any other known mode of construction, these objects being obtained from the nature of the material used and the peculiar manner of con necting the diiferent parts.

To enable others skilled in the art of constructing buildings to use and apply my invention I proceed to describe its construction and application, reference being had to the annexed drawings making a part of this specification in which Figure l, represents an internal side view. Fig. 2, a vertical transverse view. Fig. 3, a side view of a continuous beam. Fig. 4, a top horizontal view of said beam.

The foundation of my building is laid in the ordinary manner with either stones, brick or any other suitable material. In said foundation are perpendicularly inserted and firmly secured sets of bands or plates of iron, steel or other metal. Each set consists of many such bands o1; plates strongly riveted or screwed together at very, short distances as represented at A A A, Figs. 1 and 2. In large structures the rivets or screws are in two or more rows near the edges of the bands, and at a dista-nce from each other not exceeding the diameter or thickness of the whole set of bands particu larly when great strength or firmness in the structure would be required. These bands thus riveted or screwed together in sets and firmly insert-ed in the foundation answer the same purpose that iron or stone pillars or wooden posts do in other buildings. At the proper height for the first fioor a number of the said perpendicular bands are carefully bent to a horizontal position as seen at B, B, Fig. 2, and riveted or screwed together at very short distances and form the beams or a part of the beams for the same first floor as seen at C, C, Fig. 2. For the construction of the second story the remaining perpendicular bands are carried up in precisely the same manner'as for the first story as seen at D, D, Fig. 2, andV screwed together at very short distances, and at the required height for the second floor a further number of said bands are bent to a horizontal posit-ion and riveted or screwed together to form the beams or a portion of the beams for the said second {io'or as seen at E, E, Fig. 2. The construe; tion is thus continued to whatever` height the building may be carried and the'remainingperpendicular bands arethen properly bent from all sides of the structure as seen at F, F, Fig. 2, either in the form of arches or otherwise and riveted and screwed together to form the rafters of the roof as seen at G, G, Fig. 2.

The perpendicular sets are crossed between the doors and windows with other bands running in a horizontal direction and riveted to them as seen at H, H, Fig. 1. y

Moreover other bands in sets well riveted together may be laid with the edges vertical, across every Hoor as seen at I,I, Figs. 1, and 2, and firmly attached to the horizontal sets, as seen at J, J, Fig. 2, and also to the perpendicular sets as K, K, Figs. land 2, thus adding great strength and completing the beams for the floors. Fig. 3, represents a side view of such sets and Fig. 4, a top or horizontal viewof the same. Still further the last mentioned sets, in buildings of several contiguous apartments can and must be extended from one apartment to the other well fastened to the perpendicular sets at each crossing of the internal or artition walls and thus every such set constitutes, as it were, a continuous beam, as represented in Fig. 4f, and extending through the whole building from one side to the other and strongly secured to the outer or main walls by means of a loop or otherwise by passing the ends of the bands between the perpen-` the uses intended. For, example; in a dwelling house, the spaces or distances between the perpendicular sets can be filled up with plates of metal, one forming the outer, and one forming the inner surface of the wall, and the space or vacuum between the two plates be filled up with some nonconducting substance, such as powdered charcoal, sawdust, ashes, &c., &c., and the internal surface plastered or papered as4 preferred.

The great security of this mode of construction is apparent. The frame being interwoven throughout as described, and'with the identical material implanted in the foundation, it follows that every part is held immovable. At the same t-ime the building has great lightness, and can be constructed at comparatively small cost.

Claim.

l. I claim as my invention and desire to secure by Letters Patent the construction of lbending a certain number of the' parallel bands which have been used in the perpeni dicular walls below, to the required position to serve as beams and rafters, the same being strongly riveted or screwed together.

3. I claim the vertical continuous beam, Fig. 4L, constructed of several parallel plates 'strongly riveted together, and also the combination of the horizontal and vertical beam of parallel plates, as shown in Figs. l and 2.

BERNARD JOACHIM LA MOTHE. Witnesses:

R. W. YOUNG, CHAS. L. ALEXANDER. 

